At this point I am not new to libraries, nor am I new to hiring, and I still find it weird and confusing that the person who initially screens your application is not likely to be a person who interviews you, and neither of those people may actually make the hiring decision. And your eventual supervisor may be yet a whole nother person who you don’t see at all in the hiring process.
So I have a few questions in the Return to Hiring Librarians survey that are designed to highlight this chain in the LIS hiring process. One is:
182 people responded to the survey. As you can see in the chart below, many of them took full advantage of the “other” option.
HR | 42 (23.1%)
Library Administration | 106 (58.2%)
The position’s supervisor | 122 (67%)
A Committee or panel | 99 (54.4%)
Employees at the position’s same level (on a panel or otherwise) | 30 (16.5%)
Other answers:
- a committee narrows down, recommends, then prioritizes names…the chair of the committee (typically the supervisor of the committee) can then move the same names along or overturn, HR does final vetting but only something like a failed criminal background check would prompt HR to overturn/send it back. My AVP typically vets and approves, before HR.
- Executive Director
- Library Administration, upon the recommendation of search committee
- VP of Academics & President of College
- The committee may include a faculty member from the area the librarian will be supporting
- I just wanted to specify that directors are hired by the library board’s personnel committee and the directors hire the rest of their staff.
- The position’s supervisor and one other manager in the hiring department
- County administration, library commission (governing board)
- The position’s supervisor, and Director
- A search committee recommends to the dean, who makes the final decision in consultation with the supervisor where needed
- For leadership positions we include at least one staff member who would report directly to them
- We take feedback from all staff members and have a coffee time where everyone can meet the candidates
- Staff hired by Director; Director hired by Library Board
- Provost or other principal administrator
- The Dean makes the final decision but the search committee provides a report and everyone in the library provides feedback.
- Director
- Panel recommendations are reviewed by Director
- We’re a small, rural library. No HR dept. Hiring decisions are ultimately made by director, with input from the respective Dept head
- Search committee makes recommendation to dean
- Department head (who is usually the supervisor for the position).
- If a position is of a supervisor/”librarian” level, there may be a committee of admin and/or the position’s supervisor
- Principal
- Library Board
- CEO
Hiring Librarians 